“What happened?”
Donghyuck spoke through the phone, he had previously excused himself from Doyoung and took a few steps away so he wouldn’t be able to listen in on his conversation.
“Uh, hi Donghyuck.”
“Get to the point Mr. Seo, now.”
“Oh, right! Ah, well, you know how many of us wanted you to stay so you would help us with project 127, I really wish you did. But, uh, the man who we injected the disease to was much more unstable than we thought. We locked him in the glass room. We are currently undergoing the cures, but we don’t know if it’s safe.”
“I don’t know where you are getting at. Who said I allowed you guys to give him the disease?! Surely I didn’t.”
“I respect you a lot, trust me I do. We never meant for this to happen, but we did listen. We didn’t give him the one specified, so we used.. the other one.”
Donghyuck stopped breathing for a second. Yes, there was another disease that everyone anxiously wanted to use. It was originally created for the ability to control people, but it didn’t work out, and the person who it is given to now won’t be able to be controlled by anyone. Not even themselves. It was put aside by Donghyuck himself, he kept it in his office. He never expected to be disrespected in such a way, so he left it in his drawer unprotected. They called it the DMC. It stood for Devoured Mind Causality.
“You did what? You were never given permission to do that, what have you done? God, what have you done, I need to get there now. You idiot, this was exactly what I was afraid of. Now, there is a chance people will die.”
“I’m sorry–”
Donghyuck ended the call and quickly told Doyoung he had to go, then ran out of the building by taking the stairs and hopping in his car. Immediately, he was greeted by the one he was previously on the phone with. The man stood there with his brown hair shining in the sun. He was taller than him, but Donghyuck had the ability to make him nervous than any other scientist he has met due to his assertive aura.
“H.. hi Mr. Lee.”
“Let’s go.”
Donghyuck walked past him, taking his forearm and dragging him with him. He greeted patients like normal and the staff too with a sweet smile, until he made it to the janitor room. It was cramped with the two men in there, Donghyuck was fine but the other was flustered to be almost chest-to-chest with his superior. He then patted the wall with his hand, until he found the panel and pushed it. That’s where the same wall slid to the left, and there were glass stairs leading to the lab. This was the ‘basement.’
“Where is he?”
Donghyuck immediately asked.
“Ah, in the glass room, I told you through the phone.”
“Have the three visitors been injected with the cures?”
“Yes! But, since you never tried to include yourself, we don’t know what to do next considering we didn’t put the disease in them and we weren’t instructed to to begin with.”
“Are you saying it’s my fault, Mr. Johnny?”
Johnny gulped, scratching the back of his neck nervously by the mention of Donghyuck saying his first name. He shook his head quickly, this caused him to crack a smile from how much respect he received, it was cute and comforting to know at least someone tried to listen to him.
“Well, we have no choice, but to sacrifice them.”
“What?”
“Hyung, I don’t want to do this as much as you do, but it can’t still in there forever. It’s now or never.”
Johnny hesitated, his eyes drifting to the side before he fixed his position and nodded.
“Right away.”
Another mistake. They sent in one, who was bitten into and almost torn apart before the thing lost interest, so let go of him. It was until they sent in the second one, it woke up as the same, it seemed the woman was too afraid and ran out but left the door open. They ran out and jumped onto her, eating her until there was nothing left besides a large puddle of blood and leftovers. The third man tried to escape but was met with the same fate, but Donghyuck couldn’t risk that man holding the curse and began to bang on the window that separated them. It caught their attention, and they ran to the window, slapping their bloody hands onto the glass. It was until he realized, it was breakable.
“Hyung, go upstairs.”
When he didn’t move, Donghyuck yelled.
“Go upstairs!!”
Johnny snapped out of his trance and nodded, leaving the lab and up the glass steps. Donghyuck stared ahead, the rest of the scientists behind him waiting for something else to happen. Then there was a crack in the glass. Another. There was a hole, they both tried to stick their arms through it, only for it to cut through their skin but slowly more cracks began to surround the hole. Donghyuck turned his head, where he saw the three cures used but there were more. He slowly took all of them, stuffing them in his pocket before he turned around, making his way towards the stairs.
“Where are you going?”
“There are weapons in the closet.”
With that, Donghyuck pulled down the lever from the top of the stairs, where a small section in the wall pushed in then pulled out a shotgun. He installed it when it was everyone’s day off. He then stepped into the janitors closet, where he shot the glass stairs until they all were nothing but shattered particles. The scientists began to shout at him, but Donghyuck only turned around and left the closet. He purposely left the little door open so if any of them survived before they were all miraculously killed, they would be able to escape. Johnny was outside waiting for him, his fingers up to his lips as he stared nervously at the building until he saw Donghyuck.
“I have some news.”
“What happened now?”
“Well, uh, they’re going to blow up the hospital, or at least part of it..”
“Why?!”
Donghyuck turned to face the building, the workplace he has been with for the past four years and has really hated everyone in it if he had to be honest, besides a few who were on decent levels with him like Johnny.
“They don’t want to risk it, they said it will explode in an hour or two due to what is happening underground. They’re setting it up now.”
“Are they having the patients evacuate?”
“Yes.”
“Then whatever, I don’t care. Everything will be taken care of, I hope.”
Donghyuck shrugged, his gaze remaining on the building until he noticed Johnny took a few steps closer to him, so he rose his chin to look up at him.
“What–”
“Can I stay with you?”
“The hell? Why?”
“I don't wanna be on my own”
Donghyuck felt like he was on a TV show of some sort. Johnny was a person he rarely speaks to, so why out of the blue does he have the guts to ask him something like this? He was acting like a young boy who needed help when in reality he is a twenty-seven year old man who works as a scientist.
“Listen–”
“Please.”
“Jesus christ, I’m not your father.”
“I have a kid!!”
This was when Donghyuck stopped.
“How old?”
“Twenty”
“And he isn’t my kid, but it’s almost like father and son, you know?”
“And what? I’m going to be the dad?”
“Of course not!”
He wondered if he should have felt offended or not, he never meant it in a romantic way. Johnny was, not anything special to him. Johnny then sighed.
“Please? I have a premonition that whatever we–”
“You mean you guys.”
“Okay, but whatever those guys and I created will get out.”
“That’s impossible.”
It was until people began to run out of the hospital, screaming, and Donghyuck realized Johnny was right. He took his hand and quickly ran away from the building, it said on his resume where he lived. Then there was a loud explosion like sound, the air knocked both of them down from how close they were and they fell to the ground. Donghyuck sat up, wincing and reached up to touch near his eyebrow where the source of pain was coming from. He looked down at his finger to see blood, then turned to Johnny, shaking him.
“Come on, get up before they escape. My car isn’t far.”
Johnny slowly sat up, and Donghyuck helped him stand up. He noticed his jeans were ripped and his knees were bleeding, thankfully not severely but it will sting when he moves. They quickly ran to his car, getting in and Donghyuck driving off towards Johnny's house. He checked in his rear mirror, where he saw people in coats walking slowly, a few looking seriously injured but seemed calm. It was spreading, he didn’t succeed on killing the virus before it could make it in the outside world. Donghyuck took out his phone, typing a text directed for Doyoung.
Run. Get somewhere safe. I failed.
Johnny immediately opened the door to the car, shutting the door then running to the front door. He took out his keys, shoving them in the keyhole and pushing open the door.
“Jisung!!”
“Why are you yelling?”
Just as Donghyuck exited his car, he heard the sound of a different voice. He slowly followed, looking around and up and down the streets to see if they had gotten this far. Not yet. Johnny hugged Jisung tightly, almost close to tears while the boy looked confused as to what was happening then he saw Donghyuck.
“Are you cheating on Jaehyun?”
“What?!”
“Are you crying because he will gain the custody and you will be forced to pay child support?”
“I’m going to smack you. This is my superior, he works with me.”
“He works for me–”
“I work for him.”
Johnny corrected himself.
“Where is Jaehyun?”
“Asleep.”
“Go wake him up, we need to leave the city.”
“What? Why? I like it here.”
“You don’t understand.”
Donghyuck watched as Johnny and Jisung went back and forth at each other, then looked around before he began to get sick of their voices interrupting the other.
“Listen here kid, there is virus going on out there and I have no doubt they will come here and decide to have a meal here too. So, if you don’t want to be placed on a damn plate and be eaten alive, I suggest you listen to Johnny on this and leave.”
Jisung blinked twice, he was shocked. Johnny and Jaehyun had always been patient with him, and they never tried to be harsh with him. This was new.
“Wow. Okay, I understand.”
Johnny sighed and rushed to Jaehyun's room, mumbling something Donghyuck couldn’t make out so he just stood there with Jisung.
“I like you.”
“I don’t care.”
Donghyuck decided to keep watch outside, he heard noises coming from inside the house, then he saw someone walking in the middle of the road. This was a quiet neighborhood, and he assumed only a madman would do that, so he quickly walked inside and shut the door. Jisung was startled by the noise and looked up to see Donghyuck closing the curtains, blocking out any source of light from outside.
“What’s going on?”
“It’s here.”
A man with messy silver hair walked out, Donghyuck assumed it was Jaehyun that they were discussing earlier.
“Uh, who are you?”
“Okay, I’m going to try to explain this quickly but thoroughly. I’m Lee Donghyuck, Johnny works with me and there has been an accident in the lab where there is now a virus spreading where a person’s mind is completely destroyed and they cannot control themselves. So, it seems the only thing they could possibly think of is their hunger, and they resolve to cannibalism. There is no way to stop them, unless there is a cure.”
It took Jaehyun and Jisung a moment to take it all in, and Donghyuck realized they understood once they saw their fear spread across their faces.
“What’s going to happen? Johnny is right, we need to leave.”
“We have to wait, there is one on the road and there is a huge chance more will come. I suggest we stay here for the night, and hopefully by morning it will be clear and we can leave.”
Once he finished, there was a thump on the door. Johnny came out who had also heard it, Donghyuck held his finger up to his lips, a sign for them to be quiet. He then walked to the window near the door, he peered through it from the far left so he could get a good look at the front door. There he saw the same person from the middle of the road, but they weren’t human. Donghyuck let the curtain go before it could notice there was a meal in there, he walked to the light switches and turned them all off. He searched throughout the house and shut off every source of light. Then they all stood quietly, too afraid to move until Donghyuck's phone began to ring and he quickly turned off the sound. He didn’t look at the contact. His only focus was keeping Johnny, Jaehyun, and Jisung safe from his worse creation. There was grumble, before it banged on the door once. Jisung yelped to which Jaehyun put his hand over his mouth.
Silence. It was silent but there was no other sound that was louder to Donghyuck than right now.
Donghyuck woke up the next morning on the couch and to vibrations, he looked around and realized that he really was in Johnny's house, and what he thought was a dream was actually pure reality. He realized his phone was beneath his face and he rubbed his eyes to clear his vision. It was Doyoung.
“Are you okay? Hyung?”
“Yeah, hi this isn’t your friend. Are you at the hospital? This is Donghyuck right?”
“I’d like to ask who this is first, where is Doyoung hyung?”
“He’s here don’t worry, he’s safe with us but he wants you to be safe too. We’re all heading towards the hospital.”
“Don’t go there. I’m not there.”
Donghyuck continued to tell the address to the stranger, until he realized he didn’t know his name.
“Who is this?”
“I’m Lee Jeno.”